nickdouglas:

I wrote a little essay for SF Weekly’s culture blog. It’s about how VIP sections ruined SXSWi.

The first comment says I’m discredited because I edit an AOL blog. Lulz!

The big / official parties are for the new people at Southby. Experienced Southby’ers know better than to waste time on those and simply connect with their friends in one of the many bars and restaurants using Twitter, 4SQ or Gowalla. I did, and it was one of the best and most “magical” Southby’s of my life.

If you happen to host one of the offcial parties, suck it up. Don’t talk nonsense about SXSWi being “dead” when it was the most vivid SXSW ever. Not as intimate perhaps, but very much alive. (also, I didn’t even know there were any VIP sections at all until I read your post.)

Agreed that there’s a good way to get around the VIP bullshit – and I have to admit that I liked the Gawker party. I just thought it would have been equally good, or better, without a VIP section.

And anyone who thinks Foursquare “solves” the VIP problem is either using Foursquare way better than all my friends, or they’re not really using it at all. Because it’s no perfect system for avoiding crowded parties. In fact, it often encourages the sorts of ultra-crowds where everyone would be better off splitting into a lot of smaller parties.

I wish I’d spent more time on the “SXSW is Dead” post, or gone softer – I had a good year, never claimed I didn’t, just pointed out things that weren’t as fun as years prior – but I was on deadline and I’m not at my best on Draft #1. Alexia did her best to sharpen up my worst gaffes, but still an essay banged out this quickly is bound to have its flaws.

And I maintain that non-celebs like me, or even Scott Beale, or even Jason Calacanis, have no need for a VIP section. We are not celebrities, we are not inundated by fans unless cordoned off.

We just need to find parties that aren’t two thousand people packed wall-to-wall. I’m sorry I don’t want to meet all the new people, but I honestly feel like more of them are boring and/or trying to pitch shit than the people who’ve been coming to SXSW for years. Yes, my desires are antithetical to theirs. That is my personal opinion and it’s a valid one even if others have a valid opposing argument.

tl;dr: SXSW isn’t literally dead. It’s just different in a way I don’t love.

Mar

2010

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